Experimental determination of the 6s^2 ^1S_0 -> 5d6s ^3 D_1 magnetic-dipole transition amplitude in atomic ytterbium

We report on a measurement of the highly forbidden 6s^2 ^1S_0 \to 5d6s ^3 D_1 magnetic-dipole transition in atomic ytterbium using the Stark-interference technique. This amplitude is important in interpreting a future parity nonconservation experiment that exploits the same transition. We find $| | ~ = ~ 1.33(6)_{Stat}(20)_{\beta} \times 10^{-4} \mu_0$, where the larger uncertainty comes from the previously measured vector transition polarizability $\beta$. The $M1$ amplitude is small and should not limit the precision of the parity nonconservation experiment.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures Paper resubmitted with minor corrections and additions based on comments from referee

Generalized Contour Dynamics: A Review

Contour dynamics is a computational technique to solve for the motion of vortices in incompressible inviscid flow. It is a Lagrangian technique in which the motion of contours is followed, and the velocity field moving the contours can be computed as integrals along the contours. Its best-known examples are in two dimensions, for which the vorticity between contours is taken to be constant and the vortices are vortex patches, and in axisymmetric flow for which the vorticity varies linearly with distance from the axis of symmetry. This review discusses generalizations that incorporate additional physics, in particular, buoyancy effects and magnetic fields, that take specific forms inside the vortices and preserve the contour dynamics structure. The extra physics can lead to time-dependent vortex sheets on the boundaries, whose evolution must be computed as part of the problem. The non-Boussinesq case, in which density differences can be important, leads to a coupled system for the evolution of both mean interfacial velocity and vortex sheet strength. Helical geometry is also discussed, in which two quantities are materially conserved and whose evolution governs the flow

Theory of laser ion acceleration from a foil target of nanometers

A theory for laser ion acceleration is presented to evaluate the maximum ion energy in the interaction of ultrahigh contrast (UHC) intense laser with a nanometer-scale foil. In this regime the energy of ions may be directly related to the laser intensity and subsequent electron dynamics. This leads to a simple analytical expression for the ion energy gain under the laser irradiation of thin targets. Significantly, higher energies for thin targets than for thicker targets are predicted. Theory is concretized to the details of recent experiments which may find its way to compare with these results.Comment: 22 pages 7 figures. will be submitted to NJ

Gauge theory description of compactified pp-waves

We find a new Penrose limit of AdS_5*S^5 that gives the maximally symmetric pp-wave background of type IIB string theory in a coordinate system that has a manifest space-like isometry. This induces a new pp-wave/gauge-theory duality which on the gauge theory side involves a novel scaling limit of N=4 SYM theory. The new Penrose limit, when applied to AdS_5*S^5/Z_M, yields a pp-wave with a space-like circle. The dual gauge theory description involves a triple scaling limit of an N=2 quiver gauge theory. We present in detail the map between gauge theory operators and string theory states including winding states, and verify agreement between the energy eigenvalues obtained from string theory and those computed in gauge theory, at least to one-loop order in the planar limit. We furthermore consider other related new Penrose limits and explain how these limits can be understood as part of a more general framework.Comment: 67 pages, latex, 4 figures; references added, typos fixed, a minus sign in the string spectrum corrected, discussion on gauge theory operators improve

Au+Au Reactions at the AGS: Experiments E866 and E917

Particle production and correlation functions from Au+Au reactions have been measured as a function of both beam energy (2-10.7AGeV) and impact parameter. These results are used to probe the dynamics of heavy-ion reactions, confront hadronic models over a wide range of conditions and to search for the onset of new phenomena.Comment: 12 pages, 14 figures, Talk presented at Quark Matter '9